Beavercrest Community School is getting provincial recognition for their new fire safety program.
Principal Leigh Morris says the school is one of 20 recipients of a 2009 Fire Safety Award from the Ontario Fire Marshal’s office.
Morris says the school has been working very closely with the Markdale Fire Department, particularly firefighter Wendy Krebz.
Morris says the program has included all grades at the elementary school, from the kindergartners meeting Krebz in her full gear to the grade 8’s making fire safety vidoes for Youtube.
She says making the topic more relevant to what the students are interested in helps to drive home the message a lot better.
And she adds it’s great to find all the different ways fire safety can be worked into the curriculum.
Morris says the students really enjoy the connection with the fire department and have been thrilled with such things as station tours – she’s even heard many of them say they want to be firefighters when they grow up.
Morris explains when she became principal two years ago, it was her aim to have a greater community involvement at the school and thought the fire department was a great place to start.
She expects the fire safety program to continue at Beavercrest for many years to come and recommends it to other schools as well.
Morris is heading to a ceremony in Toronto today to pick up the Fire Safety Award for the school.
Patty and John Mock — the owners of Home Hardware in Harriston — will also receive a new Fire Safety Award today.